An artist’s duty is rather to stay open-minded and in a state where he can receive information and inspiration. You always have to be ready for that little artistic Epiphany.
At some point you start seeing the difference between what you really want, and what is your priority order. I feel that today I know what I want. That’s the problem with perspective, as well as focus and concentration.
Do I personally believe in a personal God? No.
Getting married, for me, was the best thing I ever did. I was suddenly beset with an immense sense of release, that we have something more important than our separate selves, and that is the marriage. There’s immense happiness that can come from working towards that.
I don’t particularly believe all love is doomed. But I guess, one is usually kinda suffering from some aborted love affair or association, rather than being at the peak of one. I think it’s fairly obvious that a lot more suffering goes on in the name of love than the little happiness you can squeeze out of it. But I wouldn’t like to dwell on it. Perhaps you could lighten up a bit.
I love rock-n-roll. I think it’s an exciting art form. It’s revolutionary. Still revolutionary and it changed people. It changed their hearts. But yeah, even rock-n-roll has a lot of rubbish, really bad music.
I think there’s a certain numbness in modern society, that accepts certain kinds of violence, but represses other kinds of violence.
I write a lot, and very often I write a couple of lines that are particularly revealing in some kind of way. And then as a few more lines get added and a piece gets added, eventually the song pretty much takes over and you can’t really find a way to change those things.
I’m a believer. I don’t go to church. I don’t belong to any particular religion, but I do believe in God. I couldn’t write what I write about and be creative without a certain form of belief.
I’m very happy to hear that my work inspires writers and painters. It’s the most beautiful compliment, the greatest reward. Art should always be an exchange.
I’ve always had an obligation to creation, above all.
My responsibility as an artist is to turn up at the page or the piano or the microphone. The rest is up to God.
People think I’m a miserable sod but it’s only because I get asked such bloody miserable questions.
The actualising of God through the medium of the love song remains my prime motivation as an artist.
The concept of God in America is very different than it is in England.
The thing about being young is that you think you’re the final product of evolution. You are invincible. And nothing can hurt you. And people don’t count. Ah, the solipsism of youth.
We were interested in art and we weren’t particularly interested in sport, so we were considered homosexuals. There’s no two ways about it – we were the school poofters.
